Critical Response by Laura Scott

Author:Laura Scott [Scott, Laura]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Laura Iding

Chapter Nine

“What happened?” Alanna pushed against Reed’s body. “Who’s hit?”

“Your brother is fine.” Reed did not budge beneath her attempt to shove him aside. “Stay down. The cop we were planning to interview was shot.”

“Officer Brown?” She craned her neck to peer around Reed’s body to see for herself. Then she gave him another solid shove. “Let me up! I need to stabilize him until the ambulance gets here.”

“There’s nothing you can do,” Reed said grimly. “He’s gone.”

“You don’t know that,” she snapped. With an abrupt twist, a move she’d perfected when wrestling with Aiden, she freed herself from his grip. Rising to a crouch, she ran over to the fallen man.

“Alanna, get down!” Brady shouted. “We haven’t spotted the shooter!”

She ducked her head but continued her quick examination of the injured man. When she noticed the entry wound on the back of his head, her heart sank. Still, she moved her fingers around to the front of his neck to check for a pulse.

Nothing.

Reed was right. Tate Brown was dead. Her shoulders sagged in defeat.

“Alanna.” Reed came up behind her, covering her back with his body. She turned to look up at him. His fierce expression reflected his annoyance. “Please come back to the SUV.”

She reluctantly nodded.

“Brady, cover us.” Reed spoke in a loud tone. She could see FBI agents running out of the building in response to the gunfire. Reed rose and pulled her up beside him. “Hurry,” he urged. “We need to be far away from here.”

“What about the police?” Sirens indicated local cops would be arriving at any moment. “Shouldn’t we stay and talk to them?”

“No.” Reed’s tense tone was firm. He opened the passenger-side door. “Get in.”

Glancing through the windshield toward Brady, she sent a questioning look. Her brother nodded, so she scrambled inside. She had to assume Brady would cover for them with the local authorities.

It wasn’t until Reed had driven the SUV away from the FBI office building that the implication of this brutal murder struck deep. “He was killed to prevent him from speaking with us.”

“Exactly.” Reed’s jaw was so tight she expected to hear his teeth crack beneath the pressure. “No way was that a coincidence.”

“I agree.” She shivered, suddenly chilled despite the warm sunlight. She looked at Reed. “Wait a minute, is it possible one of us was the real target? That Officer Brown simply got in the way?”

“Not likely.” Reed caught her gaze for a moment before he turned his attention back to the road. “The bullet struck the back of his head with a precision that was lacking in the other shooting attempts. This cold-blooded murder was done by a pro. Not a gang banger looking to add to his street cred, like the guy outside Rosie’s Diner.”

“Dear Lord Jesus,” she whispered, praying for strength. “A cop? You think another cop shot him? Why? What’s going on?”

“Whatever it is, it’s bigger than we originally thought.” Reed shook his head in frustration. “I wish I understood how this is linked to the gang shooting that first night.

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